Marine Maintenance

Bob White

Bob is on of the full time friendly faces of the maintenance program here at the OCC School of Sailing and Seamanship, who got his start teaching at OCC in 1984, instructing classes on lidos, shields, cruising classes, and assisting with the maintenance crew. Bob has been responsible for numerous yacht deliveries for the college’s donated boats, having survived 2 dismastings in the Pacific!

Bob was born in 1950, the son of a sailor, he bought his first boat at age 10, and helped his father build a strip planked 24’ sloop in the back yard in Goat Hill Costa Mesa. He attended OCC 1969-1970, and was a member of the sailing and crew teams, graduating in 1970 with an AA degree. Bob then attended Cal State Long Beach, where he was a member of the sailing team from 1971-1972. He took a “sabbatical” after the end of his junior year, and purchased a Cal 28 with three friends, and set sail for the South Pacific for a 6 month cruise to Hawaii, American Samoa, Western Samoa, Fiji, and New Caldonia. He then sold the boat, and returned to school, finishing his undergraduate work, earning a BA and his elementary teaching credential, and attending grad school. Bob used his credential, and taught school for 2 years in Mission Viejo, where he enjoyed his work, but felt too claustrophobic to stay inside.

Ever the adventurer, Bob moved to New Caldonia, where he learned French, and started a business “WindCal” Windsurfing New Caldonia, a full service retail store and windsurfing school. He became a certified windsurfing instructor, and taught over 4,000 people how to windsurf. He sold the business after 6 years, and managed the first yacht charter company in New Caldonia, Noumea Yacht Charters; eventually returning to the U.S. in 1983.

Bob’s hobbies include surfing, sailing his own Cal 36 sloop, and rowing with his 4 children, who are all involved with marine sports ranging from crew to the youth sailing programs offered at the OCC School of Sailing and Seamanship.

Rich & Sheri Crowe

Since Rich and Sheri first sailed aboard Alaska Eagle from England to California in 1982, they have been aboard as skipper and mate for the majority of every Orange Coast College voyage she has done. Combined, Rich and Sheri have sailed more than 550,000 miles, including three Atlantic crossings, more than 30 crossings between Hawaii and the West Coast, 13 equator crossings, and many miles through the South Pacific between Tahiti and Australia. In between, Rich and Sheri built two boats, virtually by themselves. In the first boat, a Farr 44 named Confetti, they circumnavigated South America. Their next boat was a 54 foot aluminum sloop named Polar Mist, in which they voyaged from California to Antarctica and back.

Rich and Sheri enjoy sharing their extraordinary knowledge with others. Rich can fix anything (and has) on a boat. He has taught many nautical skills, and enjoys showing sailors how easy it is to learn celestial navigation. Sheri is an expert in preparing for cruising, from provisioning to spare parts to sail selection. Rich and Sheri live life to the fullest, enjoy sharing the adventure, and always look forward to new destinations. With a complete knowledge of boat building, navigation and offshore sailing, along with a high regard for safety, Rich and Sheri are a great leadership team aboard Alaska Eagle.

Licenses held:

USCG Master Open Oceans

STCW International

Yacht Master Offshore (RYA/DOT)

US Sailing Keelboat Instructor

Marine Radio Operator (FCC)

Certified Divers NAUI

Amateur Radio License

Katy Pointer

Born in Newport Beach, CA, Katy is an important fixture at the Sailing Center. Katy is an avid traveler, having sailed to exotic locations such as Micronesia. She has been around boats her entire life, and has been sailing with her family since she was young. Katy has been involved in the marine industry for 15 years, and has been a member of the maintenance team at the OCC Sailing Center since 2000.

Katy and her husband chuck llive in Dana Point with their adorable and feisty kitten, Smokey.

Mark Templin

Mark is a valuable member of our maintenance crew, and is a staple feature at the boathouse. He is very knowledgable, hardworking, and always has a smile on his face. Having spent 10 years in the music business playing guitar, he signed to Warner Brothers and JVC, and recorded songs for movies such as Hellraiser 3. He painted surfboards in 1978 with his father, a distributor for AllGrip, and in 1984, he moved on to painting and working on boats under the supervision of Roger Eeds. Mark is a multihull sailer, having gone to OCC in the early 80’s. Mark has been with the OCC School of Sailing and Seamanship for 10 years.